Parliamentary inquiry instructed playing firms supplied medication to huge spending punters
Tom McIlroy
A Senate inquiry into the Albanese authorities’s playing legal guidelines has heard allegations that betting firms and casinos are offering huge spending punters with medication, free lodging and escorts.
Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello instructed Monday’s listening to he was getting ready to offer a personality reference to a person being detained in Sydney’s Silverwater jail, who was allegedly focused by promoters.
The person is getting ready to plead responsible to fees over theft of greater than $12m, Costello mentioned.
Costello alleged to the listening to that playing firms together with TAB and Sportsbet supplied the person medication, escorts, and free lodging.
He was given free lodging at Star On line casino. He needed to depart every week so they may technically say he wasn’t residing there and are available again the following morning.
He was the TAB’s greatest buyer in that point. They have been giving him $50,000 bonus bets. He was additionally Sportsbet’s greatest buyer.
They have been flying him to grand finals. They have been providing him escorts, medication, no matter he needed. He was doing turnover of greater than $20m a month.
He’s very distressed, having been introduced up in a church household, concerning the shame to his household and to himself, and that’s why he’ll be pleading responsible.
Key occasions
Penry Buckley
NSW Icac’s Operation Rosny hearings resume
The NSW Unbiased Fee Towards Corruption (Icac) has begun the second of eight weeks of hearings as a part of Operation Rosny in the present day.
Robert Assaf, the primary witness from the conservative proper Liberal factional group the Reformers to offer proof up to now, is showing earlier than the fee once more in the present day. Reformers Jean-Claude Perrottet and Jeremy Greenwood will give proof later this week.
The inquiry is investigating allegations that Reformers together with Assaf, Perrottet and Greenwood solicited or accepted unlawful donations to recruit or renew members to the get together, a apply often known as “department stacking”, which isn’t of itself unlawful. The group needed extra conservative insurance policies on same-sex marriage, transgender rights, abortion and euthanasia.
NSW shadow legal professional common and Liberal chief within the higher home, Damien Tudehope, is predicted to look earlier than the inquiry later in the present day. Tudehope, who has stood other than his shadow cupboard roles through the inquiry, shouldn’t be named in any allegations and isn’t accused of any wrongdoing.
His identify was talked about continuously through the first week of hearings. Reformers Jean-Claude Perrottet and Christian Ellis labored as staffers in Tudehope’s workplace, and Tudehope gave frequent talks at Reformers recruitment occasions. His former enterprise companion Michael O’Hara, who’s alleged to have made unlawful donations, was the inquiry’s first witness. O’Hara disputed whether or not his funds to the Reformers counted as political donations.
Jean-Claude Perrottet has beforehand denied any wrongdoing.
Parliamentary inquiry instructed playing firms supplied medication to huge spending punters
Tom McIlroy
A Senate inquiry into the Albanese authorities’s playing legal guidelines has heard allegations that betting firms and casinos are offering huge spending punters with medication, free lodging and escorts.
Anti-gambling campaigner Tim Costello instructed Monday’s listening to he was getting ready to offer a personality reference to a person being detained in Sydney’s Silverwater jail, who was allegedly focused by promoters.
The person is getting ready to plead responsible to fees over theft of greater than $12m, Costello mentioned.
Costello alleged to the listening to that playing firms together with TAB and Sportsbet supplied the person medication, escorts, and free lodging.
He was given free lodging at Star On line casino. He needed to depart every week so they may technically say he wasn’t residing there and are available again the following morning.
He was the TAB’s greatest buyer in that point. They have been giving him $50,000 bonus bets. He was additionally Sportsbet’s greatest buyer.
They have been flying him to grand finals. They have been providing him escorts, medication, no matter he needed. He was doing turnover of greater than $20m a month.
He’s very distressed, having been introduced up in a church household, concerning the shame to his household and to himself, and that’s why he’ll be pleading responsible.
Josh Butler
Angus Taylor and Anthony Albanese on depart this week
The opposition chief, Angus Taylor, is on depart for many of this week, his workplace has introduced, with the deputy chief, Jane Hume, appearing in his stead.
Taylor might be on depart from in the present day till Thursday, a spokesperson suggested in the present day.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, can also be on depart this week, his workplace introduced final week, returning to work Thursday and with Richard Marles as appearing PM within the interim.
Hume was set to carry a press convention this morning in Brisbane.
Laurie Daley steps down as Blues coach
Laurie Daley has ended months of hypothesis by formally quitting his position as NSW State of Origin coach, AAP experiences.
The NSWRL on Monday paid tribute to “true blue” Daley whereas saying he can be stepping down after NSW efficiently gained again the defend from Queensland following a turbulent 2026 marketing campaign.
The Blues claimed the collection 2-1 after turning into solely the fourth workforce in Origin historical past to win a decider at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
NSWRL chief govt David Trodden mentioned:
NSWRL owes a large debt of gratitude to Laurie for the service he has given to his state as each a participant and a coach.
He has additionally led NSW to arguably two of the best Origin collection wins of all time as a coach, after ending Queensland’s eight-year successful streak in 2014 and overcoming adversity to steer the Blues residence in 2026.
These wins transcended soccer. They lifted and reinvigorated the entire state. He deserves to go away the NSW Origin enviornment because the hero that he’s.
Amanda Meade
Alan Jones trial on indecent assault and sexual touching fees begins in Sydney
The high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones for indecent assault and sexual touching fees begins in the present day in Sydney’s Downing Centre native court docket and is predicted to run for 4 months and listen to from 76 witnesses.
Choose Glenn Walsh will hear from six complainants who have been allegedly indecently assaulted by the 85-year-old between 2003 and 2020.
Jones is going through 22 fees at his judge-alone trial. They embody 20 indecent assault and two sexual touching fees, the court docket was instructed in pre-trial hearings final month. In 2018 the offence of indecent assault was changed by sexual touching, carrying a most penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment.
Jones has denied all wrongdoing and mentioned the allegations are all both baseless or they distort the reality.
Learn extra right here:
Luca Ittimani
Home costs slide throughout Australia as Center East battle and tax adjustments start to chunk
Home costs have fallen in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth because the market downturn spreads throughout Australia.
New Cotality knowledge, launched on Monday, confirmed costs have fallen throughout many of the nation since Might.
Brisbane’s median value has fallen about $8,000 since Might, to equal its March degree of $1.1m. The town’s dwelling costs had elevated for an historic 40 consecutive months, since February 2023, till they fell in June. Adelaide and Perth median residence costs have every fallen about $4,000 beneath their report highs set in Might, at $944,000 and $1.03m respectively.
In June, regional Australia’s residence values fell total for the primary time since January 2023. Regional residence values fell or stayed flat in each state in July.
Nationally, the median residence value is now $928,000 – about $19,000 beneath its March peak.
Learn extra:
Helicopter firm ‘deeply saddened’ after deadly accident in Greece
McDermott Aviation, the corporate that owns the 2 firefighting helicopters that collided in Greece, launched an announcement this morning saying it was deeply saddened by the accident.
John McDermott, the founder and president of the corporate, mentioned in an announcement:
We’re deeply saddened to substantiate that the 2 crew members aboard one of many helicopters have misplaced their lives. The 2 crew members from the second helicopter are within the care of medical professionals.
Our ideas and deepest condolences are with the households, pals and colleagues of these affected by this tragic incident. Each crews have been enterprise the crucial work of supporting firefighting operations to assist shield communities.
McDermott Aviation is working carefully with the related authorities and can proceed to help as they undertake their investigation into the incident.
Chalmers says home costs have fallen earlier than after intervals of ‘extraordinary’ progress
Chalmers was requested a couple of fall in home costs throughout the nation as main tax adjustments start to chunk.
The treasurer mentioned it’s “not unusual” to see costs fall as they’ve been following intervals of ‘extraordinary progress’, pointing to comparable declines in 2022 in the beginning of the speed climbing cycle and between 2017 and 2019.
He instructed RN:
Funding in housing is a long-term funding. Folks don’t make investments in housing from daily or week to week, month to month. And so, occasionally, you will notice actions in costs like these.
However housing is a long-term funding, and we proceed to count on over the course of the approaching years that costs will proceed to rise, however extra modestly than earlier than.
Chalmers maintains gasoline excise lower by no means meant to be everlasting
Jim Chalmers mentioned costs have certainly come up over the previous month, however they’re “considerably decrease” than when the excise aid got here into impact.
He spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying the lower was “by no means supposed to be everlasting”:
Costs have come up a bit, however they’re considerably decrease than once we first launched this excise aid. The excise aid has performed a extremely essential position in taking a few of the edge off these price of residing pressures which were turbocharged by a warfare within the Center East.
It was by no means supposed to be everlasting. … It’s executed a extremely essential job, however we are able to’t afford to proceed it perpetually.
He mentioned the federal government hasn’t been contemplating bringing them again it petrol costs climb once more.
Krishani Dhanji
Chalmers places service stations on discover … once more
Now that the gasoline train lower has ended, the treasurer has instructed the buyer watchdog to carefully monitor service stations to ensure they’re not value gouging.
After the outbreak of warfare within the Center East, the federal government quickly lower the gasoline excise in half. That was then elevated barely final month, saving about 16c per litre on the wholesale value for an additional month. The excise lower ended at midnight on Monday.
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says the ACCC might be watching servos and suppliers “like a hawk”.
The regulator will step up its monitoring of gasoline value actions. Any value enhance that may’t be defined will face critical scrutiny from the ACCC.
We’ve jacked up the penalties for petrol stations that rip off Australians. They face multimillion-dollar fines in the event that they break the regulation.
Chalmers made the identical warning when the gasoline excise lower was lowered final month. It’s anticipated to take just a few days for adjustments to circulation by means of to the bowser.
LinkedIn dragged into information bargaining incentive laws, regardless of lobbying from Microsoft
Krishani Dhanji
The federal government has launched new particulars of its information bargaining incentive laws, with LinkedIn not exempt from the settlement – which can pressure platforms to pay for information content material.
The platforms – Google, Meta, TikTok and now LinkedIn – must make offers with at the very least six media organisations (a rise from 4 underneath the draft laws) or pay 2.5% of their digital income made in Australia.
The federal government has introduced the adjustments after consultations with business.
The cost fee for firms that don’t signal offers has elevated, from 2.25% to 2.5% of their digital promoting income. The federal government has modified the foundations from the platforms having to pay a share of their complete income made in Australia to simply digital promoting income.
It means income from the telephones Google sells, for instance, might be exempt from the information bargaining incentive funds – since that doesn’t depend as digital income.
Guardian Australia revealed final month that Microsoft had lobbied the federal government in March 2025 to maintain LinkedIn and Bing exempt from the brand new guidelines. Bing nonetheless gained’t be liable to pay the inducement, as a result of its digital promoting income in Australia is underneath the $250m threshold.
In an announcement, the minister for monetary companies, Daniel Mulino mentioned the adjustments “don’t alter the intent of the laws and stay true to the coverage rationale”.
We wish digital platforms to do offers with a various vary of media organisations and have proven good religion with each the platforms and media firms through the session course of.
Good morning
Good morning, and joyful Monday. Nick Visser right here to get the week’s information going. Right here’s what’s on deck:
The high-profile trial of former broadcaster Alan Jones for indecent assault and sexual touching fees begins in the present day in Sydney.
LinkedIn has been pulled into the federal government’s information bargaining incentive laws and can not be exempt from the settlement. The announcement comes after session with the business, with the federal government saying the adjustments “stay true to the coverage rationale”.
The treasurer Jim Chalmers, has issued a warning to service stations amid ongoing pressure within the Center East, saying he might be watching them “like a hawk”. The gasoline excise lower has now come off however it’s anticipated to take just a few days for the adjustments to circulation by means of to the bowser.
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